You and Me
by xForeverxAlwaysx
Summary: The last thing I remembered was his slow, even breathing, and the sound of a slow, rhythmic melody buzzing in my ears, before I fell into a deep and peaceful sleep.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So since I am in an Alek/Chloe mood right now, I decided to start a new story(:  
>I'm not sure how often I'll be able to update, but I'll try my best. If you have any ideas review or PM me(:<br>Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: Is a disclaimer even necessary? I mean, we all know that I don't own the Nine Lives of Chloe King :P**

"What do mean I have to leave?" I said harshly. I was sitting on the sofa with Valentina sitting across from me, Jasmine standing against the back of the sofa, and Alek sitting next to me.  
>"Look," Valentina said, "the Order is getting closer and soon enough they will target the ones you love. They already tried to get to you through your mom, and we all know how well that went."<br>"We think they might try and go after Amy and Paul next," Jasmine added.  
>"So you want me to go to the other side of the country? I can't leave everyone here! What about my job, Brian, I can't just leave my mom for three months with no good explanation." I said, while shaking my head.<br>"Chloe, Alek and I are going to come with you, you'll be completely safe there," Jasmine said, trying to convince me.  
>"It's not me that I'm worried about," I muttered.<br>"Just think Chloe, you'll get to spend three months with yours truly," Alek said with a smirk.  
>I looked at him out of the corner of my eye as he winked at me, before I turned back to Valentina.<br>"Please don't make me do this," I begged with her.  
>"Unless you want to stay here and watch your friends die in front of your eyes, I suggest you go," Valentina replied.<br>"Fine, I'll go. On one condition," I paused before continuing on. "Paul and Amy come too."  
>They all started to protest before I cut them off. "Look, I know I'd never be able to convince my mom to come without her getting suspicious. I know that she'll be fine. She'd be easier to protect than Amy or Paul; Therefore they need to come with me." They still didn't look convinced, so I turned to Alek and tried my best to look sweet and vulnerable before whispering a barely audible "Please."<br>He sighed in a sign of defeat before closing his eyes for a second. When his eyes reopened, he turned his head and looked at Valentina. Something in his eyes must have convinced her. She nodded at him before turning her attention to me and told me that Amy and Paul could come.  
>"Thank you," I said, "it really means a lot to me. But that still leaves one problem. There's no way in hell that my mother would ever consider letting me go to North Carolina with Alek, even if Jasmine, Amy and Paul are going too."<br>"Don't worry. I'll tell her whatever I need to too let you go," Valentina said to me.  
>"So let me get this right," Alek said, "No Order, no school, no Mai stuff, and no adult figures lurking about. Best. Summer. Ever." Alek said with a grin.<p>

_I just hope my mother will share his enthusiasm. _

__A short few hours later, Amy, Paul, Jasmine, Alek and I sat with blankets and pillows in Jasmine's family room. Our bags were pack, and loaded into the car that we would drive tomorrow morning to the airport. Once we got to North Carolina, we would rent a truck, and drive a few hours until we got to the beach. There, we would be staying in a beach house that Jasmine's mom rented us for the entire summer. She would come down twice a month to make sure we were all okay, and to give reports to my mom.  
>It took a while to convince my mom to let me go, especially when she found out that "The Boy from my Bed" would be going, but she came around eventually.<p>

Brain wasn't happy. At all. In fact, I think he was a bit furious. Of course it didn't help that Alek was standing next to me with a smirk on his face when I told him. But really, Brain didn't have any say in the fact that I was going to the beach all summer with my friends. It was just a coincidence that one of them happened to be a very flirtatious British hottie. Not that it was any of his business anyway, seeing as we're "just friends."

Paul and Amy were in a corner of the room making-out, and Jasmine was in her room doing some "last minute packing." That left Alek and I very much alone. I was sitting with my back resting against the base of the sofa sifting through a magazine as Alek was lounging on the sofa, listening to his Ipod. With my supersonic hearing **(A/N: How lame does that sound:P) **I listened to most of the songs along with him, not that he was aware of that fact. I must say, he does have a very good taste in music.  
>"I like this song," I murmured, quiet enough so that Amy and Paul couldn't hear me, but loud enough so that Alek could. He got up off the sofa and plopped down next to me on the floor, and stuck one of his earbuds in my ear. We had to sit relatively close to do this, so our shoulders were lightly brushing together. I relaxed a bit at the feel of the warmth of his skin on mine, even if it was just on my shoulder. I then made a bold move and turned my body slightly in towards his and rested my head on his shoulder. He was surprised by this gesture, but he didn't make any move of protest. The last thing I remembered was his slow, even breathing, and the sound of a slow, rhythmic melody buzzing in my ears, before I fell into a deep and peaceful sleep.<p>

**A/N: Hey so I hope you liked it(:  
>In case you couldn't tell, Alek, Chloe, Jasmine, Amy and Paul are all going to North Carolina for the summer. Sorry that it was kind of boring, but I didn't know what all to put in this chapter because I didn't want to get to the part where they actually start to go to the beach yet. But expect plenty of drama soon;)<br>I didn't want the Alek/Chloe relationship to be perfect right away, because I wanted to show their growing feelings for each other. When do you think they should get together(They have 3 whole months)?  
>Please review and tell me what you think(:<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I'm so happy that you guys are excited about this story:)  
>It really made me happy when I wake up to find 23 reviews and 43 people that put this story on their story alert.<br>Well, they aren't exactly in a particular place, but they are relatively close to the South Carolina border, because there is a lot of stuff that they could do towards Myrtle Beach (Highway 17)  
>So this chapter is a bit boring, but still necessary. But don't worry, the next two chapters should have plenty of drama;)<br>Enjoy and please review:)**

**Disclaimer: I obviously don't own The Nine Lives of Chloe King…**

At 8:30 on a Saturday morning during summer vacation, what would you expect a normal sixteen year old girl to be doing? Well, since when have I ever been 'normal'? I was currently sitting in between Amy and Paul in the back of an old pickup truck that Valentina bought us to use for the summer. I had been sitting in the same position for the past two hours as the five of us –Paul, Amy, Jasmine, Alek and I- made our way to North Carolina. That sounds kind of normal, right? A sixteen year old girl and her four friends going to the beach. Except for the fact that we were only going so that the Order couldn't find me and kill me… again.

We were an hour away from the beach when we were running low on gas, so when Alek pulled into a gas station, it was as good a time as any to stretch my legs. Jasmine went to go and call her mom, and Paul had to go to the bathroom, so Amy and I walked around for a few minutes whil Alek was filling up the truck with gas.

"Are you excited?" Amy asked me.  
>"I guess. I just feel bad because Brian's mad at me," I shrugged.<br>"Why's he mad at you?" she questioned.  
>"I don't think he likes Alek very much. I mean, Brian only met him in passing when Alek came to pick me up for training," I replied.<br>"Isn't it obvious?" she said. When I shook my head, she continued. "Have you ever noticed the way that Alek looks at you? It's like he's ready to take a bullet for you and not even think about hesitating."  
>"That's only because he has to. It's his job," I argued.<br>"Even if genuinely cares about you, or it it's his job, how often do you meet a guy willing to risk his life for you in a heartbeat?"  
>Instead of answering, I turned around to look back at Alek. He was busy talking to Jasmine, so I was pretty sure that he didn't hear what Amy just told me, but I couldn't be sure. He suddenly looked in my direction, feeling my gaze on him, and for a moment our eyes locked. It wasn't like how it is in movies, where time stands still and you're the only two people on the planet. In that moment we both stood completely still, and then, Amy noticed I had stopped walking and she called my name to get my attention. I turned around and started walking toward her. When I looked over my shoulder, Alek was talking to Jasmine again. When we piled back into the truck, he avoided my gaze. Almost as if the moment between us never happened. <p>

An hour later, we pulled into the stone, sand, and pebble driveway of our beach house. It was a big yellow house, with white shutters, and rocking chairs out front on the big wrap-around porch, and stairs going up the side of the house. There was a path out back that led to the beach, and a swing facing the bay. There was a dock out back that connected the canal to the bay. Honestly, it was the perfect place to spend the summer.

The inside of the house was just as beautiful as the outside, if not better. When you walk through the front door, you enter the living room. It was a spacious room, with two sofas, three armchairs, a big flat screen tv, and a fireplace in the corner. Past the living room, is the kitchen/dining area. The cabinets were an off-white/cream color, with granite countertops, and stainless-steel appliances. There was a counter in the center, with fancy chair/stools on the side. Down the hall from the kitchen was a bedroom and bathroom that would belong to Jasmine for the summer. Going up the flight of stairs was Paul's room, and across the hall was Amy's. My room was at the very end of the hall, right next to a short flight of stairs that led up to a loft with another bedroom that I assumed belonged to Alek. I swear, he probably did that on purpose, just so he could annoy me all summer. I mean, why stop now, right?

The next morning, I was sitting at the table, with Paul and Amy, eating a bowl of cereal, when Jasmine came in.  
>"Do you guys want to head down to the beach?" Jasmine asked us.<br>"Sure, just let me finish my cereal first," I responded. When I was done eating, I put my cereal bowl and spoon in the sink, and went upstairs to get ready. I put my hair in a side pony-tail, with a braid going along the side. I put on my navy blue bikini and a white see-through tee shirt as a cover-up, and white flipflops. When I was done getting ready I went downstairs and waited for everyone else to get ready.

"Where's Alek?" I asked Jasmine when he was the only one who still wasn't downstairs.  
>"I don't know. Can you go check on him?" she responded.<br>"Sure," I said as I went back upstairs to Alek's room.

I knocked on his door, and when no response came, I opened up the door and took a step inside. I glanced around the room and let out a huff at what I saw.

Alek. Dead asleep.

He was laying on his queen sized bed on his stomach, with his right arm dangling off the side. It was kind of comical, really. Considering it was10:45 in the morning. I decided to have some fun, so I picked up a pillow, and threw it at his head, a little bit harder then I meant to, but it's not like he didn't deserve it.

"What the hell, Chloe?" he exclaimed.  
>I just laughed at him before skipping back downstairs to join the others, but I could still hear him mutter, "You are <em>so <em>gonna get it!" 

**A/N: So what do you think? They will be at the beach for the next chapter, so if you have any suggestions of things they should do at the beach, or anything that you want to see happen, please review or PM me. **

**What do you guys like to do on vacation? I need some ideas of places they should go, things to see, stuff to do, ect.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: So I had writers block… again. Sorry if this chapter sucks, because I was at a total loss. But hey, that's the consequence I get for letting someone inside my head and allowing myself to lose confidence.**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own…**

When Alek finally decided to grace us with his presence, we started to make our way down to the beach. The walk was a relatively short one, but filled with tons of idle chatter.

Overall, my day was pretty good. I was still slightly paranoid though because Alek still hadn't done anything to get his "revenge". It was about two in the afternoon when it happened. I was laying on my stomach enjoying the sun, and talking to Jasmine, who was sitting in a beach chair under an umbrella.

"I'm surprised my mom hasn't called yet. I expected her to text me and ask what I'm doing every five minutes," I was saying.

"She probably just wants you to think that she trusts you, despite the whole Ale-" Jasmine broke off suddenly and her eyes bulged. "Don't you dare," she told whatever was behind me. I turned my head to see what she was talking to. My eyes bulged and my mouth dropped open in shock at what I saw. I didn't have time to react before a bucket of ice cold saltwater drenched me from the shoulders up.

I opened my I eyes slowly, my mouth slightly opened in shock. He did _not _just do that! I looked up at Jasmine to double check that that actually happened and I wasn't just imagining things. I could tell that she was fighting laughter really hard. _He_ on the other hand, was laughing his stupid ass off. I blinked a few times before I pushed off my stomach to turn around and look at him, giving him a death glare. He just smirked at me before taking off running towards the water.

"You are _so_ dead!" I shouted after him.

After I got over my initial shock that lasted about a second after he took off running, I sprinted after him. When he was about ankle deep in the water, he stopped running and turned around to look at me. And of course, a smirk plastered on his face. I was about an arm's length away when he turned from me and started running parallel to the water, but not quite as fast as last time. I jogged after him, but I could tell that he was letting me catch up. Then a thought occurred to me. _What was I going to do when I actually caught up with him? _

He slowed to a walk, and then stopped all together, once we were out of earshot of the others, even Jasmine. He turned to look at me, silently daring me to do something. I stopped my jog when I was a few feet away from him. I walked straight up to him and put my hands on his shoulders. I stood on my tip toes and put my mouth next to his ear.

"I wouldn't have done that if I were you," I whispered.  
>"And why ever not, Chloe King?" he whispered back, putting his hands on my waist.<br>"Because I know your weak spot, Alek Petrov," I said before I lightly brushed my lips over his earlobe. He shuttered, proving me right, before I elbowed him in the stomach and started to jog out into the water, looking back over my shoulder to smile at him. He stood there, shocked for a moment, before a small smile crossed over his face as he started to jog after me.

An hour or two later, I walked out of the water, my hair dripping wet, and my lips tasting of salt. I plopped myself down on my towel that I had spread out earlier in the sand. I dried my hair off and started to lay down again when I noticed people staring at me. I looked up and saw Paul, Amy and Jasmine staring down at me, their mouths all slightly open in shock. I raised my eyebrows as if to say, _What?_

"Care to explain?" Jasmine asked.

"Huh?" I replied.

Instead of answering she just nodded in the general direction of the water.  
>Where Alek was standing.<p>

"I don't think that I've ever seen two people flirt so much in my entire life," Paul commented.

" What?" I asked. "We were just goofing off, messing around. Is it really that big of a deal?"

"Maybe not from your perspective. But from where I'm sitting…" Amy said with an amused smile on her lips. I looked over at Alek walking along the water's edge, to see if he was listening to our conversation. He had a smirk playing at his lips, so I'm guessing that's a yes. I turned my head and looked down at my towel, with a blush rising to my cheeks.

"We're just friends," I muttered under my breath, quiet enough so that Amy and Paul couldn't hear me.

"Mhm, sure. Keep telling yourself that," Jasmine said with a smirk. To that I blushed even more, staring down intently at the sand.

When it was starting to get dark, we started to pack up our beach chairs and towels, and started making our way back to the house. I was walking rather slowly and not really paying attention to my surroundings. So of course it's no surprise that Alek snuck up on me. Again. We walked in a comfortable silence the rest of the way back to the house. We were about to walk inside when we saw Jasmine, Paul and Amy huddled around the front door, looking rather excited.

"What are you guys looking at?" I asked.

"There's a party at the pier tonight," Amy said excitedly, while bouncing up and down on her toes. Paul handed me a flyer.

"Awesome! What time does it start?" I said.

"It starts at 8:00, so how about we order some pizza that way we have time to get ready.

"This is going to be _so _much fun!" Amy exclaimed.

**I know the ending was pretty bad, it was fairly short, and not a whole lot happened in this chapter, but I had writers block. I hope you enjoyed Alek's "revenge." I know I can picture that seen all too easily;)**

**Please review! I'd love to have some more ideas:)  
>What do you think is going to happen at the party? <strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews(:  
>So I was in the car for like 10 hours, and this idea popped into my head for what could happen at the party. Enjoy! <strong>

**P.S. I'm not sure when I'll be able to update again because I'm going to be away from Tuesday to Friday.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own, and most likely never will… :'(**

I was standing in my room, putting the last touches of make-up on my face. I was wearing a navy blue tank top that had layers of lace on it, dark-wash denim short shorts, and my grey converse. I looked pretty hot, if I do say so myself. When I walked down the stairs and into the living room, I'm pretty sure I saw Alek's jaw drop open a bit.

"Close your mouth; You'll catch flies," I teased him.

When we finally got to the pier, the party was in full swing. There was a bonfire under the pier, and there were lanterns hanging everywhere. The five of us made our way over to the railing and looked over into the water when he came over to us. To me.

He looked to be about 17 years old. He had dark brown hair, bright green eyes, and a nice tan. Overall, he was very cute. He walked over to me and asked me to dance with him.

"Sure," I replied with a small smile forming on my lips. He held out his hand to me as we made our way to the dance floor. As we were walking, I turned back around to look at Jasmine and a very pissed looking Alek. 'I'll be fine,' I mouthed to them, and he just shook his head, becoming madder with every passing second.

His name was Ryan, the boy I danced with. He was… nice. We danced for a long time. When a slow song came on, we exited the dance floor, and walked out to the side of the pier.

"So where are you guys from?" he asked.

"San Francisco," I replied. We talked about our lives for a bit before we fell into a comfortable silence. After a few minutes he turned around to look at something, and then turned back to me with a small smirk.

"I think your boyfriend is getting jealous," he told me. I didn't have to turn around to know who he was talking about.

"He's not my boyfriend," I said quietly.

"Sure doesn't look like it," he said.

"It's just the way he is. Alek's just a bit… overly-protective. He just doesn't want me to get hurt," I replied. Ryan didn't answer me right away. Instead he just looked out over the railing and into the ocean. After a few minutes, he spoke again.

"Well, I better get going. It was nice meeting you, Chloe King."

"Yeah, it was nice meeting you too," I replied, giving him a small smile.

"I'll see you around sometime," he said as he gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, before he made his way into the crowd, disappearing from my sight. I let out a quick sigh before I turned around and looked for Alek. I found him a few seconds later, and started to make my way over to him.

He was sitting on the pier, facing away from the party, with his legs dangling over the side.

"Hey," I said to him when I was a few steps behind him. "Why aren't you dancing?"

When he didn't answer me, I let out a small huff, before plopping down next to him, with only an inch between us. After a few minutes of silence between us, I couldn't take it anymore, so I tried to start a conversation with him again.

"The moons pretty tonight," I commented. He still didn't say anything.

"C'mon, please talk to me." Nothing

"Alek?" I asked again. Nada.

I let out a sigh of annoyance when I realized he wouldn't talk. I'm not sure how long we sat like that; it could have been hours. Nothing passed between us but silence.

"You're really stupid sometimes, you know that? I mean, didn't you learn your lesson the last time?" I suddenly said his voice harsh. He still didn't look at me, he just continued to gaze out at the horizon when I didn't respond, he continued. "Do you have any small fragment of any idea of how hard it is to be your protector in the first place? And then you go ahead anyway and do something stupid and reckless, knowing full well that your lives are put in danger because of your actions. I know you don't completely understand what it means to be the Uniter, but honestly, use some common sense! You have everyone counting on you to bring peace back to this world. Mai, and humans… You have eight lives to bring us back together; and for you to just go ahead and do something that might jeopardize them…. I just don't get you, Chloe King."

"I wasn't going to let anything happen," I whispered, talking about Ryan.

"I know," he whispered back.

"Then why are you so mad at me?" I asked, confused.

"I'm not mad," he said with a sigh of defeat. "I'm just… frustrated. I just don't want you to get hurt."

I didn't say anything for a while, thinking about what he just said to me.

"Thank you," I whispered, leaning my head on his shoulder.

"For what?" he asked with a small smile, slightly amused.

"For everything. For always being there for me. You may be a pain in the ass sometimes, but I know that you mean well. You know, whenever I'm in a situation where I could end up getting hurt, I'm never afraid. Because I know that, if there is even the slightest of small possibilities that I could end up getting hurt, you're always going to be there to protect me."

"It's my job," he breathed.

"It wasn't your job to watch my mom in the pouring rain, just because I asked you to," I whispered, lifting up my head off of his shoulder, and looking him in the eyes.

"You remember that?" he asked, slightly shocked.

"Of course I remember," I whispered. "It was then that I realized that there's more to Alek Petrov than basketball and being popular. That you actually, truly care about me. That I'm not just a job to you."

For once, Alek Petrov was at a loss of words. He was… speechless. Before he had time to answer, I leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek, lingering for perhaps a second or two longer then I probably should have.

"Thank you," I whispered again, my lips barely an inch from his cheek, before I stood up and made my way over to Jasmine, who was standing on the opposite side of the pier. Before I reached her, I glanced back at Alek. He was still sitting in the exact same position he was in when I kissed him. A small, involuntary smile crept on my face.

"Hey," Jasmine said as I approached her.

"Hey," I replied, the smile still evident on my lips. "Where did Paul and Amy go?"

"They went back to the house. I think they wanted some 'alone time'." She said with a small chuckle. We stood there for a few minutes, listening to the music.

"Are you okay?" she asked me with a tiny laugh.

"Yeah. Never been better," I said, my smile turning into a grin, and a blush creeping up onto my cheeks.

_That's when we heard it._

_The screams._

**A/N: Bwahahahah! Hehe(: I bet you're not liking me to much right now, right?;)  
>But, hey, that was <strong>_**wayyyy **_**to great of an opportunity to pass up.**

**I'm not sure what I think of this chapter, but I hope it met you expectations(:**

**So, depending on the inspiration that I get from you guys in your reviews, I might update tomorrow. Maybe. Hehehe(:**

**So I think Chloe and Alek need a theme song(:  
>I was thinking maybe Kiss Me Slowly by Parachute. It's like one of my favorite songs, and I'm listening to it right this second(:<br>So in your review, I'd appreciate it very much if you gave me your choice for their theme song, and a way that you want to see it incorporated into the story(:**

**Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thank you sooo much for all of the reviews(:  
>So I know that it's been awhile, but I was busting my ass all week at cheer camp:P<br>You have no idea how mad I was that I had to wait four whole days to see Tuesday's episode. Speaking of, how **_**ABSOLUTLY WONDERFULLY AMAZING **_**does next week's episode look?(:  
>*SPOILER*<br>Ben Stone said that Alek and Chloe will kiss on Tuesday! I also find it extremely funny how everyone is saying that Chloe will end up killing Brian, because there's no way that she would kill Amy, Paul, or her mother. Um… I think everyone is forgetting someone else that was on the panel…. CHLOE! Chloe could end up sacrificing herself or something like that and end up dyeing… then coming back to life. Hence… "Chloe kills someone on the panel." That someone would be Chloe.**

*****So the story is about three weeks in, and this is the summer after Chloe turned sixteen, which in this story, was at the beginning of the school year.*****

**Hope that you enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Um… I think it's pretty obvious that I don't own the Nine Lives of Chloe King**

I whipped my head around to locate the source of the screams. I couldn't see anyone, but everyone was starting to run. People were jumping over the railing and disappearing into the dark water. I guess that you could say that all hell broke loose in all of thirty-five seconds.

I turned to face Jasmine, and saw the panic written all over her face.

"What's going on?" I asked her, my voice cracking.

"There's no time to explain. Now come on, we have to find Alek," she said, with urgency in her voice.

That's when the fear consumed me. _Oh no, _I thought, _if anything happens to him, to any of them, I'll never forgive myself._  
>It was hard to find Alek, because the pier was so crowded and noisy with the sound of people running for their lives and the blood curdling screams of complete and utter terror.<p>

"Alek!" I shouted as Jasmine and I ran around -frantically on my part- trying to find him. Without success, I might add. After five minutes of running through the mass of panicked and confused people, we stopped to catch our breath.

"What do we do?" I asked Jasmine, the panic evident in my voice. "What if we can't find him? What if he's hurt or what if-," I refused to let myself finish my sentence. _He can't be._

"Chloe," Jasmine said, breaking me out of my trance. "Alek can take care of himself. He'd never go down without a fight. We'll find him. I promise."

Instead of answering, I looked at her quickly before I took off running again.

And then I found him. Or, actually, he found me.

I was standing in the middle of the crowd, people running frantically all around me.

"Chloe!" I heard someone shout.

I whipped around, ready to fight, but was instead engulfed by a pair of strong, muscular arms. After a moment I realized that the two arms holding me securely were Alek's.

"Are you okay?" he asked me, looking me in the eyes. I nodded, so he continued. "C'mon, we have to go."

"Go? Go where?" I asked. "And what about Jasmine? And Paul and Amy, what about them?"

"It's fine. Jasmine's going to distract them so I can get you out of here. Amy and Paul will be fine. They're back at the house," he said, trying to reassure me.

"Alek, I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what is going on!" I demanded, as I backed out of his embrace. He caught my wrist as I backed up, as if he lost any physical contact with me, I might disappear.

"The Order is here," he whispered gently. "Not a lot of them, just five. They killed two people. That's why everyone was screaming earlier… and now."

"How did they find me?" I said quietly, fear taking over me once again.

"As far-fetched as it seems, it was a coincidence. The rest of the Order doesn't know that you are here, just the ones that are here know. That's why it's important that we kill them quickly, so that they can't alert the others," he replied. He didn't wait for me to answer, he just tugged gently on my wrist and started to pull me through the crowd.

"Well, well, well. Look who we have here," a voice said from behind us. Alek's hand tightened around my wrist as we turned slowly to face the man that was staring at me with such hatred, that it made me flinch. Alek took a protective stance in front of me, wrapping one of his arms around my waist from in front of me, as he let out a growl.

The man smirked before continuing. "I've been thinking of all the ways I could kill you. Drowning would cause the Uniter the most pain, but then I thought, why should the Uniter be the only one to feel pain. By the way you're standing there, you can probably tell who would feel the most pain by watching you die." He smirked as his gaze moved from me over to Alek. Alek growled again. No, wait, it was more like a snarl. Yep, Alek most definitely just snarled at the man from the Order.

"So," the man continued. "What would cause protector-boy here, to feel the most pain? I could-"

He didn't even have time to finish his sentence before Alek's protective arm was gone from around my waist, and he launched himself at the man.

"Alek!" I shrieked as Alek and the man wrestled, getting closer to the edge of the pier with each passing second. I tried to run to him, but Jasmine's hands found my wrists and held them behind my back, restraining me from helping Alek. He didn't need it. Alek killed the man quickly, and as soon as the man's heart stopped beating, Jasmine's hands disappeared from my wrists and were immediately replaced by Alek holding on to my hand.

"Get her out of here. There are only two assassins left, I'll take care of them, just get her out of here," Jasmine said sternly as she went off to fight the other assassins.

Alek and I hurried through the crowd of people, toward the edge of the pier. When we reached the railing, ALek turned to look over his shoulder. He was not happy with what he saw. A man with a knife was headed towards us. Alek looked like he was contemplating whether or not it was worth it to turn and fight off the assassin. He looked down at the dark blue, almost black water, before turning to look at me.

"Do you trust me?" he asked me gently, looking me strait in the eye.

"Of course I do, but Alek-"

"Then please just do as I tell you to," he begged me. "Please."

I didn't answer him, I just nodded.

"Then jump," he said.

_What! Jumping from that high up could kill you if you didn't land right. _

"Trust me," he whispered.

So I did the only thing that I could do. I took his hand in mine, and I jumped, with my protector right by my side.

Only when we plunged into the ice cold water, did my hand leave Alek's. The water was dark, and I floated there for a second, before I regained my senses, and I started to kick upward. When my head broke the surface, Alek's name involuntarily escaped my lips as I coughed up the sickening salt water. I was never the best swimmer. I could stay afloat, sure, but that was in a pool, not in the ocean, with waves crashing down on me.

I went under once again, unable to hold my own weight. But before I was completely under, I think I saw Alek's head a few yards away.

The weight of the water crashed down on me. Pulling me, pushing me. The waves crashed overhead, and I couldn't tell you which way was up, which way was down.

That's when everything went black.

My eyes fluttered open at the feel of sand beneath me, and a light breeze on my cheeks. I felt the movement of someone beside me, but I couldn't find the strength to turn my head and look. I laid like that for a long time, trying to remember what had happened.

_A party; Ryan; Dancing; Amy and Paul; Jasmine; the Order; Alek; Trust; Falling; Water; Darkness._

I started to panic. What had happened to everyone? Were they okay?

That's when I noticed it. The sound. It was familiar, but I couldn't place it. It was slow and rhythmic. _Thump. Thump. Thump._ It calmed me instantly, and I soon fell asleep.

I woke up once again, but this time was different. This time, when my eyes opened, instead of seeing a clear blue sky, I was met with a pair of beautiful hazel eyes. _Alek._

"What happened?" I whispered as I sat up. I was scared of what his answer would be.

"You got knocked out after we jumped. I pulled us up here to the dunes. Jasmine called about an hour ago. The men from the Order are dead. You're safe," he said quietly, while he checked me over for any sign of injury. He reached out his hand to touch my cheek. I looked at him questioningly, but when his hand came into contact with my skin, I felt it. The sting. He ran his fingers along the side of the cut, ever so gently. I closed my eyes for a moment, and then opened them again.

"Thank you," I said quietly, with a small smile forming on my lips.

"Always," he said, returning the smile.

We sat there for a few minutes, looking out at the water, and the sun slowly rising, turning the sky gold. Alek sighed, and then slowly stood up, pulling me up with him. He took my hands in his and put them around his neck. When he was sure that I wouldn't move them when he let go, he moved his hands and placed them gently on my hips. He started to rock us back and forth slowly, while he hummed an unfamiliar tune. I looked at him questioningly and asked him what he was doing.

"I never did get to dance with you at that party," he answered, giving me a small smirk.

I'm not sure how long we stayed like that, it could have been hours.

All I knew is that, for the moment, in Alek's arms, I felt safe.

**A/N: So I wasn't too sure about this chapter, but I'm super tired and I really wanted to update. Let me know what you think! I know 24 reviews is a lot, and I am extremely grateful, but over 100 people have this story on Alert, so I think that we can do better than that.**

**I really need some new ideas, because I don't know what else you want to happen. SO PLEASE TELL ME ANY IDEAS YOU HAVE, OR ANYTHING YOU THINK SHOULD HAPPEN, otherwise, this story might be over soon. Please review and tell me what you think of this chapter. If you don't review, the story won't get better. **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I am so sorry that I haven't updated in so long, but I was away on a mission trip. I literally got home and ran up to my room, and watched last Tuesday's episode. Sorry that this chapter isn't very long, but hopefully the content makes up for it ;)**

**Enjoy:)**

It had been three days since the "incident" at the pier. Amy and Paul were fine. In fact, they hadn't even noticed that anything was wrong, at all. They were a bit too… 'preoccupied.' Jasmine had called Valentina right after the assassins were killed. Let's just say that she was _not _happy.

Things with Alek quickly became… awkward. Sure, we still talked, we still joked, we still went back and forth with our sarcastic remarks, but it seemed… forced. It didn't seem as natural as it once did. The thing was, as much as things were different between us, I couldn't get him out of my head. He was everywhere. He was constantly in my thoughts. Whenever I was talking to Amy, thoughts of Alek always seemed to creep back into my mind. I started to find it difficult to fall asleep at night without first using my hearing to find his heart beating steadily just down the hall. Every time I would see him walking toward me, I couldn't help but smile. Not to mention the thoughts that were starting to form in my head. And to be honest, these thoughts scared me. I mean, Alek was… _Alek. _He was my protector, my friend. That and nothing more. We had finally established a good relationship with each other, and I wasn't about to jeopardize that out of my own selfishness.

I was sitting on my bed resting my back against the headboard with my feet out in front of me, typing out an e-mail to my mom, when Jasmine walked in.

"Hey Chlo," she said.

"Hey Jazzy," I responded, as I hit send and closing my laptop. "What's up?" I asked, looking up at her as I set my laptop on the bed next to me.

Instead of answering me, she grinned, and plopped a packet on my bed, right by my feet.

"What's that?" I asked, suddenly getting very suspicious.

"That," she said, nodding to the packet that was now in my hands. "Is your new training schedule."

"Really, Jazz? I thought that this was supposed to be a vacation. Last time I checked, no one goes running across rooftops on vacation," I said, groaning a bit.

"Don't worry, no running on rooftops this time. Alek and I will come get you at eleven," she said with a grin, before making her way out of my room and downstairs to the living room.

"Let's see what we've got here," I said quietly to myself. I flipped through the pages, taking in as much information as I could. Our schedule was pretty much the same as it had been back in San Francisco. Running, jumping, bamboo sick fighting, hand to hand combat. The only new thing that was new was the extensive list of conditioning exercises and stretches to strengthen my muscles. _Oh, this ought to be fun. _

At exactly 10:59, I heard a soft knock on the door to my room. And for reasons beyond me, I couldn't help but let a small smile grace my lips at the thought of what lay just beyond my closed door.

"Wow," I said as I walked down the stairs next to him. "Alek Petrov actually knows how to knock."

"I'm not a complete jerk you know," he said, pretending to take offence.

"'Complete' being the operative word," I said, smiling at him.

We continued our walk outside in a comfortable silence. When we reached the side yard, we found Jasmine there waiting for us.

Fifty push ups, eleven up-backs, seventy five reverse crunches, two and a half miles, and twenty five counts worth of flutter kicks later, I found myself hunched over in the sand, trying to catch my breath.

"You know, if I were an assassin, you'd be dead by now. Here," Alek said from behind me. I turned around to find him handing me a bottle of low calorie blue Gatorade.

"Thanks," I said, grateful at his small gesture of kindness.

"Aren't you even the least bit tired?" I asked him, after a downing about half of my Gatorade.

"Nope. Not really," he answered, with a small smirk playing at his lips. He started a light jog back to where Jasmine was standing, before turning to look back at me. "C'mon, we still have some training to finish."

I groaned slightly, before I started to jog after him. _This is going to be a long night. _

After another excruciating hour and a half of training, the three of us quietly made our way back to the house.

"Night, guys," Jasmine said quietly as Alek and I started to ascend the stairs.

"Night, Jazzy," I whispered, exhaustion evident in my voice.

"Night," Alek added.

Alek and I made our way up the stairs in a comfortable silence. When we got to my room, I opened the door before I turned around to face him.

"Goodnight, Alek," I said, giving him a small smile.

"Goodnight, Chloe," he responded.

He seemed lost in thought, but I was too tired to ask him what was on his mind. I turned around, about to go into my room, before his voice stopped me.

"Chloe. Wait."

"Wh-" I started to say, turning back around to face him.

But I was silenced before I could get the words out. Because all of the sudden, his hands were on my waist, my body was pressed up against his own, with my hands wound around his neck, and his lips pressed firmly, but gently against mine.

**A/N: That's it for this chapter. Again, sorry about the length and the time it took to update. I've had an idea for a song-fic milling about in my head now for about a month, so I'm going to try and finish that up. I can't believe the summer finale of Nine Lives is only a few days away! Anyone have any predictions?**

**I have a few questions for you guys concerning upcoming chapters:**

**Should Jasmine find some romance during their vacation?**

**The return of Mimi?**

**The return of Brian?**

**Should Alek's basketball 'friends' pay him a visit?**

**Should I make a few song-fic chapters? Song suggestions?**

**Anything else that you want to happen?**

**Please review! :)**


	7. Finally Falling

**A/N: Thanks for all of the great reviews guys:) I seriously love you for reviewing (In a non-creepy way)  
>I had to get my knee taped up yesterday and now I can't bend it, so sorry if this chapter is kinda sucky, but I'm in a lot of pain. Out of curiosity, does anyone ever really read these authors notes?<strong>

**So the cheer season is starting up, so I won't be able to update a whole lot, especially because I'm starting up at a new school:/ but I'm going to try my best. Reviews help get a new chapter up faster, though! I'm going to start naming chapters after songs, so if you have any requests, let me know:)**

**I seriously have no idea of what I should do next, so please PM me so that I can get some in depth ideas of what you want to see happen. Every suggestion helps!**

I couldn't tell you how long we stood like that. All I know is that when we broke away for air, it was far too soon. He pulled back slowly, when we couldn't possibly go any longer without breathing. My eyes remained closed, with my mouth slightly open, trying to figure out what in the world just happened. I could feel his gaze on my face, while his forehead rested against mine. My hands were resting on top of his broad shoulders, while his hands were still on my waist, yet not as firmly as they were before, almost as if he was afraid of what my reaction was going to be.

I slowly opened my eyes and looked up at his face. He looked slightly confused, as if he hadn't meant to kiss me just then. For a moment, I panicked, afraid that he only kissed me on impulse, and not because he actually _wanted _to kiss me. It was at that moment that everything started to sink in. His feelings. My feelings. The constant flirting between us. The way we always bickered like an old married couple. That kiss woke up a new feeling inside of me. It was something I never felt before, not even with Brian.

I looked up into his eyes. They looked conflicted. As if he couldn't choose between leaning down and capturing my lips once again, or to turn and run in the opposite direction. Let's just say I made that choice very easy for him. I looked away from his beautiful brown eyes for a moment to glance down at his lips, and then up again at his eyes. I slowly stood up on my tip toes to even out the height difference. My gaze flickered back and forth between his eyes and his lips as I slowly moved in. He tilted his head forward slightly, to make the distance from my lips to his, shorter. I tenderly kissed the corner of his mouth, some might say teasingly. I could hear him draw a quick and shallow breath before my lips came into contact with his. After a moment, I pulled back slightly, leaving about two inches between us. I stared up at him, gauging his reaction. There were so many emotions conveyed in his eyes. But the most evident, _happiness. _

His corners of his mouth turned upward in a slight smile, before he crashed his lips on mine for what was the third time in the past fifteen minutes. This kiss was different then the other two. It was powerful and full of emotion. It had so much passion behind it, I probably would have fallen over if my arms weren't locked tightly around his neck. His grip on my waist tightened slightly, drawing me in even closer to him. **(A/N: Kind of how it happened on their first kiss) **

"Goodnight, Alek," I breathed out when we finally broke apart for air. He gently pressed his lips on mine once again, light as a feather. When my eyes reopened, he was gone. I slowly turned back around to my door, and entered my room. Everything was exactly how I left it, before I went to training. My laptop was laying at the foot of my bead, on top of my sky blue comforter. The window was opened slightly, causing a light breeze to sway the chocolate brown curtains gently.

I closed the door to my bedroom, and let out a small sigh. I put my back up against the door and slid down the white wood, ending up in a sitting position. I brought my knees up to my chest as a small smile crept onto my face. I cast a quick glance at the clock in the corner of my room. 1:46 AM. The quick burst of energy that I had felt when Alek kissed me, was quickly running out. I pushed myself up from the cool hard wood floor, and made my way to my bathroom. I changed into my blue and grey pajama pants, a grey camisole, and a black sports bra. I brushed my teeth, and put my hair up in a messy bun, before pulling back my comforter and climbing into bed. I was out a second after my head hit the pillow.

The next morning, I was woken up by the trickle of sunlight seeping in through my still opened window, and the smell of bacon in the kitchen. I laid there o my back for a moment, the thoughts of last night slowly returning to my half-asleep brain.

_Alek kissed me. _

It seemed nearly impossible just thinking it. But it happened. It _actually _happened. I threw the covers off of me before standing up and stretching. I let out a groan when I could feel the soreness of my muscles from the previous night's training session. I made my way down the stairs without bothering to check my appearance in the mirror first. I hopped down the last three steps before making my way into the kitchen. Jasmine was standing by the countertop, pouring herself a cup of coffee; Paul was sitting at the table reading the local newspaper; and Amy was sitting across from Paul, nibbling on a piece of toast with grape jelly. I walked over to the pantry and pulled out a box of Frosted Flakes, before getting some milk out of the refrigerator, and digging out a bowl and a spoon. When my bowl of cereal was finally assembled, I took a seat at the table next to Amy. After a few minutes of chatting with Amy, Alek came downstairs, looking as if he just rolled out of bed. Literally.

He grabbed a blueberry muffin before sitting at the table next to Paul, directly across from me. He tried to catch my eye as he sat down, but I stared down intently at my bowl of Frosted Flakes as a small blush rode to my cheeks. This of course made Alek smirk, which only caused me to blush even more. Luckily for me, Amy was too engrossed in her conversation with Paul, and Jasmine… well let's just say that Jasmine isn't the most observant person in the morning.

Alek gently nudged my foot with his, causing a full blown game of footsie. I looked up at him and gave him a small smile, the blush returning to my cheeks when I saw him wink at me.

Jasmine let out a sigh when she heard her phone beep, signaling a new text message. She let out a sigh of frustration when she picked up her phone.

"What is it?" I asked, curious as to what was putting her in a bad mood.

"My mother's coming," she answered without any emotion in her voice.

_Crap._

**A/N: Dun dun dun… **

**Leave a review and let me know what you think. I personally think it's my favorite chapter, even though it was kind of a filler chapter. **

**Please review:) It would make me very happy:)**


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